Ornamental wool felt and method of making same



Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

JOSEPH ROBINSON, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

ORNAMEN'TAL WOOL FELT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME- No Drawing.

This invention relates to the manufacture of articles of wool felt, and particularly to hats of wool felt in which a coating is employed in resemblance of a frost.

It has for its object to provide such a coating for a wool felt article, such as ladies hats, which will be ornamental and which at the same time will impart a Waterproofing quality to the coated hat. A further object is the perfecting of the method of applying such a coating whereby a satisfactory article of this kind is produced.

In carrying out my invention I .employ wool felt hoods to which is imparted a special nap. This nap may be formed on the hood either before blocking or after it has been shaped to form a hat body. It is des1rable that the nap be such that the finished coating will resembled a frost, and for this purpose the outstanding fibers forming the nap should be properly distributed and of proper length. To form upon the wool felt hat body a proper nap, a flint paper of the required grade is employed to pounce the hat body in order to pull out the fibers to form the nap.

The second step is the cleaning of the nap by the removal of the dust. This is preferably done by buffing the wool felt with a felt wheel. This felt wheel not only removes the dust, but in addition lays the fibers of the nap all in one direction, which is of importance in the proper application of the lacquer in a succeeding step.

Next, a coating of lacquer is applied to the napped wool felt by spraying, and this spraying is applied in a direction which will permit it to raise the fibers of the nap; that is, it is applied against the ends of the fibers. To assist in this operation, the hat body is rotated in a direction opposite to that in which it was rotated during the buli'mg op eration, and the lacquer nozzle is directed substantially tangentially of the hat.

The lacquer employed is thinned to the proper consistency, which might best be described as that of a good quality of milk. A glaze thinner for the lacquer is preferably employed. On a colored hat body is generally used .a lacquer colored white. On a wihte hat body is generally employed a Application filed. January 12, 1927. Serial No. 160,773.

lacquer colored black to produce a frost effect. But it will be understood that any color may be employed in the lacquer to produce a frost efiect or its equivalent.

After the lacquer is applied, the coating is permitted to dry for three or four minutes.

The coating formed on the hat body by this process is protective in that it will shed water'and prevent the hat body from becoming Wet. It also produces an ornamental effect of frost on the hat body. The color of the wool felt is lighten-ed by imparting to the background of the hat body the color 7 in the lacquer but preserving a tint of the original body color, While the fibers forming the nap are completely colored, whereby the contrast between the hat body and fibers is produced resulting in the frost effect.

Having described my invention,what is claimed is:

1. An ornamental WOOl felt hat body comprising a body and a nap thereon of outstandingfibers, a coating therefor of colored lacquer,the lacquer being applied more completely to the fibers than to the body, whereby a frost effect is produced by the difference in coloring between the body and nap.

2. The method of applying a coating to Wool felt hat bodies resembling frosting comprising pouncing the hat body to pull out the fibers to form a nap, and spraying a thinned colored lacquer against the hat body substantially tangentially thereto, the character of the lacquer and spraying being such as to incompletely change the color of the body and completely color the fiber nap to produce the frost effect.

3. The method of applying a coating to wool felt hat bodies resembling frosting comprislng pouncing the hat body to pull out the fibers to form a nap, buffing the hat body to clean the nap and lay the fibers, and spraying a thinned colored lacquer against the hat body substantially tangentially to raise the laid fibers in such a manner as to incompletely color the body and completely color the fibers of the nap.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOSEPH ROBINSON. 

